Once the first port of call for transatlantic flights, Shannon Airport in the province of Munster (in Irish Aerfort na Sionna , in the IATA code SNN, in the ICAO code EINN) is the third busiest airport in Ireland, after from Dublin and Cork. Around 1.75 million passengers use Shannon Airport per year. Today, it primarily serves the cities of Limerick, Ennis and Galway, in addition to the considerable southwest of Ireland. Historically, however, Shannon Airport played a much larger role.
Destinations served by Shannon Airport
Shannon Airport is no longer the first choice when it comes to taking long-haul flights, but it does operate multiple flights per day to the UK, US, and more.
Naturally, flight plans change, as do company priorities, so any listing of destinations served from Shannon Airport can only represent a snapshot. At the time of writing, the following connections existed (not all daily, and excluding charter flights): Alicante (Spain), Berlin (Germany), Birmingham (UK), Boston (US), Chicago (US), Edinburgh (United Kingdom), Faro (Portugal), Frankfurt (Germany), Fuerteventura (Canary Islands, Spain), Krakow (Poland), Kaunas (Lithuania), Lanzarote (Canary Islands, Spain), London (Gatwick and Heathrow, United Kingdom) , Malaga (Spain), Manchester (United Kingdom), New York JFK (United States), Newark (United States), Palma (Balearic Islands, Spain), Philadelphia (United States), Providence-Rhode Island (United States), Stanstead (United Kingdom), Stewart International (United States), Stockholm (Sweden), Tenerife (Canary Islands, Spain), Warsaw (Poland), Wroclaw (Poland) and Zurich (Switzerland).
Airlines that fly to and from Shannon Airport include Aer Lingus, Aer Lingus Regional, American Airlines, Delta, Helvetic Airways, Lufthansa, Norwegian, Ryanair, SAS, and United Airlines.
How to get to Shannon Airport
Unless you are flying obviously you can only get to Shannon Airport by road. There is no rail connection.
By car the M7 and N7 will bring you here from Dublin, the M18 and N18 from Galway, the N18 from Ennis, the N21 and N69 from Kerry, the N20 from Cork and the N24 from Tipperary and Waterford. Shannon Airport is well signposted so you shouldn’t have any major problems. There are ample parking spaces available, check the airport website for the best option.
By bus, Bus Éireann offers 136 daily connections to the rest of Ireland from Shannon Airport. Taxis are also available, although they can be expensive on longer routes. A trip to Bunratty will cost you around € 22 to Limerick or around € 35 to get to Ennis.
Shannon Airport Services
Even after an extensive renovation, Shannon Airport is still not a great destination. The small but functional airport is still a transit facility, but it does have some amenities to offer. The airport’s biggest claim to fame may be the fact that the world’s first duty-free shop was opened at Shannon Airport in 1947. Others quickly copied the idea, but no matter how small the store is, it’s the one that started it all. Brands on sale include Armani, Benefit, Chanel, Clarins, Gucci, Lancome, Marc Jacobs, and YSL, as well as Bunratty Meade, Jameson, Knappogue Whiskey, Pernod, and even original Irish smoked salmon.
Another well-stocked store is the Shannon Irish Design Store (located outside the security area), which offers among other products manufactured by Aine, Aran Woolen Mills, Avoca Handweavers and Foxford Woolen Mills. There is also a WH Smith store at the airport, which sells newspapers, books, and assorted travel items.
As for food and beverages, the Atlantic Café in the arrivals hall offers standard rates from 6 am to 10 pm, the Zest Food Market in the departures hall has more of the same between 5:30 am and 9 pm ( takeaway options available). The newest restaurant, JJ Ruddles, serves Italian food made with local Irish ingredients. For US-bound passengers, there is Harry’s at Gate 8, a pre-clearance cafe offering primarily coffee and croissants, sandwiches and pastries, from 7:30 am to 12:30 pm (remember this requires a second ride For security reasons, you will not be able to bring any drinks that you buy in the other part of the airport).
For your final Irish experience, you can head to the Sheridan Food Pub in the departure lounge. The name of Joe Sheridan, who supposedly invented “Irish coffee” in 1943, can revive your spirit here 24/7.
Visitors going to the US from Shannon Airport will also go through US customs and border protection directly at the airport, saving a bit of time when they arrive in the states. Since you have already verified your passport, flights from Shannon are considered domestic flights.
And lastly, all the major car rental companies have a presence at Shannon Airport, although advance reservations are recommended.
Attractions Near Shannon Airport
What to do if you are stuck for a few hours at Shannon Airport? Well, it’s not exactly a focus of entertainment. But there are some delicious attractions nearby, and a taxi will get you there relatively quickly (a better option than renting a car for a few hours). Of course, it can also be a virtue to arrive well on time and have one last hearing (but remember to give yourself extra time if you have to go through US passport control). Here are some ideas:
- Bunratty is just a 15-minute drive away, and Bunratty Castle and Folk Park are a tourist magnet. From renovated old cabins to ‘medieval’ castle banquets, you’ll find it all here. In addition to some tourist shops and pubs.
- Limerick city is about half an hour away by car and is a bustling city center. Take a look at the gigantic King John Castle or indulge in your cultural sense at the Hunt Museum. It is also quite good for shopping, and it is not as expensive as Dublin.
- Ennis is also a half hour drive away, smaller and much more welcoming than Limerick. The small city center, with its narrow streets and colorful houses, invites you to take a leisurely stroll. Or head to the Clare County Museum on Arthur’s Row, with its eclectic and interesting collection on local history.
- The Foynes Flying Boat Museum takes you back in time and will make your next transatlantic flight seem so much more comfortable. But it takes time, the journey is an hour or a little less. Take a look at the Foynes website for more details.
Fun Facts About Shannon Airport
Life at Shannon Airport has not always been a routine routine, there were some memorable moments. For example, the gigantic Airbus 380 was tested at Shannon Airport for upwind stability during starts and landings. This says something about the weather to expect here. Due to the length of the runway, Shannon Airport was also among the designated emergency landing sites for the space shuttle.
Shannon Airport’s most famous moment, however, came with Russian President Boris Yeltsin, who on September 30, 2004, was awaited by a sizable entourage of Irish politicians. As an advanced group of Russian delegates, and virtually the entire political leadership of the Republic of Ireland, shuffled along the runway, Yeltsin’s plane circled the airport for an hour and then landed. Finally, the door opened but Boris Yeltsin never appeared. After another delay, an Aeroflot crew member first informed the Russians, who in turn informed the Irish, that the President was “sick” and “very tired.”
A few quick words were exchanged, and everyone drove (or flew) back home. Even today, the real reason for Yeltsin’s spectacular non-appearance is in dispute: His daughter claimed that a heart attack had struck mid-flight, although other sources sinisterly hinted at the Russian president’s long-standing fondness for vodka.
A brief history of Shannon Airport
Transatlantic air traffic originally consisted of huge flying ships and a terminal was built at Foynes, on the south side of the Shannon Estuary. This has been closed for a long time, but has now been turned into a museum. However, with improvements to conventional aircraft, a land-based runway and airport were needed. As early as 1936, the Irish government announced the development of a modest site at Rineanna, the island’s first transatlantic airport. After draining the extensive swamps, the first airport was operational in 1942 and was named Shannon Airport.
However, the runways were not suitable for transatlantic flights, this only happened during the extensions around 1945, ready for full service right at the end of WWII.
On September 16, 1945, the first transatlantic flight occurred, during which a Pan Am DC-4, coming directly from New York, landed at Shannon Airport. On October 24 of the same year, the first scheduled commercial flight took place, this time an American Overseas Airlines DC-4, which used Shannon Airport as its European landing site.
From its humble beginnings, Shannon Airport really took off with the postwar boom in transatlantic travel. Keep in mind because it is in such a desirable location, or it has all the modern conveniences, but mainly due to the fact that the limited aircraft ranges still made refueling stops necessary. With Shannon Airport as the most convenient point before or after a transatlantic flight. This, and the fact that it was located in a non-NATO country right in the middle of NATO, also made Shannon Airport very attractive to the USSR (there were even Soviet-Irish joint ventures here).
Even when airplanes became capable of flying long stretches, the famous “Shannon scale” still existed; This mandatory disruption of politically motivated flights ended only in 2007.
